Mormor, Hear Me Roar!

I would have to say that my Mormor, which is Swedish for grandma, is the person that I give credit to for me being me. My Mormor’s name was Lillian. She was about five feet tall and what I like to call pleasantly plump. She wore glasses with pink frames and her grey hair was always tightly permed. The brace that went from foot to thigh on her right leg clicked as she walked. I always knew when she was going somewhere because of the click. The thought of that click always makes me smile. Then my brain goes right to her perfume, ahh, lavender.

I think of her every day, and never for the same reason. I am me because of her influence. When I was a little girl I helped her with everything that I could. I learned how to clean a large house from the ground up, literally. I was a kid, duh, I had to start at the bottom it was all I could reach. I helped with laundry when I could. But, my favorite thing was when Mormor was in the kitchen.

My Mormor made the best soups, roasted veggies, and Swedish meatballs. When she cooked dinner for the house (ten plus people at any given time) there was never leftovers; and it was not from lack of food. Our house had a stand-alone fridge and stand-alone freezer, plus a walk-in pantry that could fit four grown people in it. Her desserts were also amazing, so much so that she would participate in bake sales.

When we were not cooking or picking up after everyone we would craft. I learned how to make so many nifty things from her that I cannot even remember them all. The crafts that we made would go garden club fundraisers like craft fairs. Her only other outlet was bingo. Every Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon she would go with my great aunts and fifty dollars. Now, she had to be lucky because she always came home with way more than fifty dollars.

I love trivia games and shows because we would watch “Jeopardy,” “Press Your Luck,” and “Family Feud.” My problem solving skills are in large part to “Classic Concentration” and “Wheel of Fortune.” Not to mention I am a great grocery shopper. Mormor taught me about more than just coupons and bargains by watching “The Price is Right” and “Supermarket Sweep” daily.

Quick question for you, what is your favorite old show to watch? I have a few that I watch when I can find them on any platform. One of them is “Perry Mason;” I even watch the black and white ones. I am also a fan of “Matlock” and “In the Heat of the Night.” But my absolute favorite thing to watch with Mormor was “Murder She Wrote.” I fell in love with the sound that typewriters make. To this day it is still one of my favorite sounds. One of the reasons I love writing so much is because one day I am going to have my own typewriter.

Mormor taught me basically everything I know about how to keep a home, cook, care for children, and she showed me how to be a kind person. I still donate to charities and help the homeless when I can. I recycle, my family eats leftovers, and we do not have pets; we have four-legged children.

One memory I will never forget is when Mormor sat me down and explained to me how to find a husband. I thought she was being funny but as I grew up and watched how people interacted and treated each other I realized she was right. So here we go, how to find a husband:

~First thing you should know is finding a husband is just like shopping for a prom dress.

When you first go out looking for a prom dress, you go window shopping, looking over all of the choices. This is the same thing that men and women do when they look each other up and down. You know, checking out the goods.

The second thing you do when prom dress shopping is try on your favorites from when you went window shopping. Now this is when you date people. In a sense you are trying them on to see if you are compatible.

Third step in the shopping process is securing the dress. After you find a dress that you love, you put it on lay-a-way; it will be yours in a specific amount of time. Any guesses? Yep, you are now engaged, the romantic equivalent of lay-a-way.

Finally, after all the shopping and waiting, the purchase is complete. Prom is here and the dress is yours. Oh it is yours alright, now you are married! All sales are final! No return! Meaning no divorce!

It sounds silly at first but if you think about she was right, finding a spouse is like shopping for dress. ~

Every day I wish that I could tell her how grateful I am for all that she taught me. I have a strong soul and gentle heart thanks to her. I have survived things that would have broken a lot of other women but so did Mormor, and I am proud to be like her.

Thank you Mormor. Without your lessons this world would have destroyed me.

*Sadly, I no longer have videos of my Mormor and these are the only pictures I have. I'm sorry that some are doubled.